Cracked Halo

“They said I fell from grace. I say I rose from silence.”Seventeen-year-old Halo James was the golden girl, choir darling, pastor’s favorite, the kind of church kid who knew how to wear her smile like salvation. But one soft, honest, holy kiss with her best friend Amina shatters everything.Cast out by her church, silenced by her mother, and ghosted by the girl she loved, Halo finds herself exiled to a new city and a new identity she never chose. With nothing but her journal, her cracked voice, and a brush dipped in rebellion, she stumbles into Paint Me Brave, a queer teen art collective where truth is painted on walls and healing is spoken aloud.In the aftermath of shame and silence, Halo doesn’t just learn to survive; she learns to speak, shine, and reclaim her name.Told through powerful prose, journal entries, poetry, and raw honesty, Cracked Halo is a coming-of-age story for anyone who’s ever been pushed to the margins, and dared to bloom there anyway.